A young student from China, originally celebrated for her outstanding performance in a mathematics competition, has been found to possess cheated, according to competition officials.
Jiang Ping, who attends a remote technical school in Jiangsu state and research fashion design, received a lot of attention in June after placing 12th in the qualifying round of a Chinese e-commerce giant’s international mathematics competition, according to BBC.
Her success was especially noticeable because she became the first female pupil to reach the finals since the beginning of the competition in 2018. Winners generally come from prestigious institutions.
Her obvious success immediately sparked acclaim in social media and advertising, where she was hailed as a mathematical genius.
In China’s very economical educational environment, intellectual achievements receive substantial recognition. Many people believed in Jiang’s visible success, demonstrating that technical students could achieve academic excellence.
But, organisers said on Sunday that Jiang had broken competition guidelines during the initial round by receiving support from her teacher, who was also taking the opposition, following growing debate about her abilities.
The organisers acknowledged their deficiencies, stating:” This has exposed problems like deficiencies in the contest structure and the lack of rigour in control. We honestly apologise”.
Jiang and her instructor were not among the 86 winners announced on Sunday due to the final outcomes ‘ announcement. The calculus competition, conducted every by Alibaba’s research section, Damo Academy, welcomes members from educational institutions worldwide.
This time, Jiang, enrolled at Jiangsu Lianshui Secondary Vocational School, had evidently outperformed individuals from famous institutions, including Peking University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Oxford.
” Learning mathematics is slippery, but every day I solve the problems I feel very happy”, she told the state-run People’s Daily.
” No matter what the future holds, I did stay learning”, she added.
Jiang never the genius
As Jiang’s fame increased, questions about her mathematical capabilities emerged. In June, the competition committee received a collective petition from the other finalists asking for an investigation and the release of her initial test results.
In an online video, the finalists cited” some evident writing mistakes” and claimed that she” seemed acquainted with these scientific expressions and symbols.” They also questioned her level of competence.
Whilst development program was permitted in the initial round, the playoffs were conducted as a closed-book exam. The announcement of results, originally scheduled for August, faced significant delays.
When results were announced on Sunday, Jiang was not listed among the 86 successful candidates.
Her school issued a statement acknowledging that her teacher, Wang, had provided assistance. Wang was given a warning and lost eligibility for teachers ‘ awards that year. Jiang was urged to be taken into account and protected in the statement.
The school has not yet responded to the situation, according to BBC.
Many social media users defended the teenager, suggesting that the school and teacher were more accountable after the revelations, despite the criticism of both Jiang and her teacher.
According to Weibo users,” Jiang Ping was not the mastermind behind the whole thing, even if it was fake.”
